By Sydney Byerly and Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
July 13, 2026
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino are slated to be featured at an Aug. 1 event in Fishers hosted by an anti-immigration nonprofit that says it aims to “save Indiana’s heritage by reversing mass migration.”
Beckwith, a Republican, is not scheduled to attend the event in person, but will record his remarks in a video to be played at the gathering, an organizer said.
Bovino last year became the face of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts as he led immigration sweeps in several Democratic-led cities. He retired this spring in the wake of backlash over the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.
“I’m speaking unfiltered at the first Mass Deportation Rally in U.S. history with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith,” Bovino said on X, referring to the Fishers event.
The event is hosted by Save Heritage Indiana, a nonprofit group co-founded by Turning Point Action field representative Nathan Roberts and conservative artificial intelligence consultant Daniel Poynter. It is billing the event as a “Mass Deportation Rally.”
The location of the event is disclosed only to those who have an invitation, but it is being described as “a rally to energize the base and help us save our nation.” Tickets are being sold for $50 and include dinner, two drinks, and “networking with fellow patriots who care.”
Poynter defended the event, telling The Indiana Citizen that wanting to stop “mass migration” is not “anti-immigrant” but “simply being pro-American.” He asserted the federal government has a duty under Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution to “protect every state against invasion.”
“They are failing to honor that duty, and we believe it is time they stopped putting foreign interests above the survival of American families,” Poynter said in an email.
He said the August event is meant to bring Save Heritage Indiana’s base together.
“Hoosiers are worried about the state of our nation, and they are tired of being ignored by politicians,” Poynter said. “Our goal is to increase the sense of urgency regarding this crisis and channel that energy into implementing effective solutions.”
The event is being met with criticism from the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, which said in a statement it is “deeply concerned” about the Save Heritage Indiana rally.
Noting this event is coming on the heels of Beckwith’s comments targeting Muslims, including proposing a ban on the Muslim call to prayer over mosque loudspeakers, the nonprofit said Hoosiers are being singled out because of their faith and made to feel unwelcome in their own communities.
“Holding an event like this in a city that is home of one of Indiana’s largest Muslim communities sends a troubling message,” Maliha Zafar, executive director of IMAN, said in the statement. “When public officials and political events portray entire communities as threats, those communities become more vulnerable to hate, harassment, discrimination and violence. Words matter because they shape how people are treated in their schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and places of worship.”
On Save Heritage Indiana’s website, Beckwith is featured in an endorsement saying the group is “doing exactly what our state needs.” In the statement, Beckwith says Save Heritage Indiana is “opening people’s eyes” to what he describes as a culture “being stolen right out from underneath our eyes.”
During a September 2025 interview, seemingly from his statehouse office, with Save Heritage Indiana founders Poynter and Roberts, Beckwith said the work they were doing is really important and warned them they would be “labeled all the -ists” and “called all the names in the book,” because people see being hardline on immigration as unloving.
“It’s not unloving to care for the people that God has placed over in your stewardship, and that’s not the whole world — that’s the people of this community that are here leading to care for them,” Beckwith said. “[We] can’t take in the whole world. Unfortunately, we can’t open up our doors for taking everyone.”
During the nearly 40-minute conversation, Beckwith agreed with the two on several immigration issues and when asked said he supported: ending birthright citizenship, calls for a moratorium on immigration, deporting undocumented immigrants and establishing English as the official language for all government agencies.
Beckwith also said multiculturalism is “a very destructive force,” Indiana should cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement, and that he intends to use his platform as lieutenant governor to “highlight the immigration problem” while continuing to encourage the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Bovino headlining the Fishers event will likely stir more concern.
A longtime border patrol agent, Bovino led the immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans before being tapped by Trump to lead what then Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons called the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever.” Bovino was demoted after agents under his command shot and killed two civilians, Renee Good and Alex Petti, in two separate incidents in January 2026.
Speaking to the New York Times as his retirement loomed, Bovino was unrepentant. “I wish I’d caught even more illegal aliens,” he said.
Save Heritage Indiana’s advocacy against immigration mirrors Bovino’s views about undocumented individuals living in the United States. On its website, the organization asserts it wants to preserve the state’s heritage, which it contends is “eroding under mass migration and weak enforcement.”
Poynter and Roberts boast on the website that they have deep ancestral roots in the United States. Both claiming to be descended from passengers on the Mayflower, Poynter said he is a direct descendant of Patrick Henry and Roberts said he is descended from “people involved in settling Jamestown.”
Save Heritage Indiana is not concerned about the controversy surrounding Bovino or his reputation.
“Greg Bovino is a professional who spent nearly 30 years protecting the border,” Poynter said in an email. “He knows the system better than anyone, and he isn’t afraid to tell the truth about what is happening. We are working with him because he puts the safety of this nation first, and he’s one of the few people willing to speak plainly about this disaster.”
Other scheduled speakers include Brandon Harnish, a Wells County councilman, board member of Save Heritage Indiana and founder of the Pat Buchanan Society, a group named after conservative commentator and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. The event will also feature Anthony Rubin, founder of Muckraker, an investigative media outlet known for publishing undercover videos and reporting on immigration, border security and cartel activity. Organizers identify Rubin as a member of the Mass Deportation Coalition.
Harnish did not respond to a request for comment.
Save Heritage Indiana also addressed criticism over ticket prices on X. After one user suggested the event was “a grift for Bovino,” the organization said the costs covered expenses including the venue, food, security and printed materials, adding that “saving our nation is going to require money and work.” When the user replied, “sounds like a grift,” the account responded, “Cha ching!” with money bag emojis.
Poynter did not release the number of tickets sold so far, but he said Save Heritage Indiana has been “heartened by the overwhelming response.”
Describing the interest as a “massive surge of hope,” Poynter told The Indiana Citizen, “People are energized, they’re ready to stand up, and we are expecting a packed house of patriots who are done being bullied.”
However, Poynter said the location was not being publicly disclosed to protect the attendees.
“We keep the location private so our guests can have an honest conversation without being harassed by those who oppose free speech,” Poynter said in an email. “While we are a law-and-order organization, we have already received death threats and violent rhetoric from those who want to silence us. We are ensuring a safe, orderly environment for Hoosiers who care about the future of their home.”
Save Heritage Indiana lists its address as Indianapolis in Marion County, but the event is being held in Hamilton County.
Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Mario Massillamany emphasized his organization is not connected or has had any communication with Save Heritage Indiana.
“Save Heritage Indiana is not affiliated with the Hamilton County Republican Party,” Massillamany in a statement. “I had not heard of the organization or of Nathan Roberts or of Daniel Poynter prior to this inquiry and neither has attended or participated in any Hamilton County GOP event.”
The Indiana Citizen reached out to state lawmakers from Hamilton County – Republican Reps. Chris Jeter and Danny Lopez and Democratic Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn – but did not receive any responses by deadline.
Zafar, at the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, wants to hear support from local and state politicians. She said the nonprofit has been grateful for the faith leaders, elected officials, and community partners who have rallied around the Muslim and immigrant communities.
“We call on all elected officials to reject rhetoric that divides our communities and instead uphold the constitutional freedoms and equal dignity of every Hoosier,” Zafar said.
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
